Rod line connecter control



NOV. 24, 1936. DUNN ROD LINE CONNECTER CONTROL Filed May23, .1954

o j f -Z' TaWe/l Power me Hacha/'Line' Patented Nov. 24, 1936 i I panse STATES PATENT oFFlce* ROD LINE CONNECTER CONTROL Irwin L. Dunn, Tulsa, Okla., assignor to Dunn & Lewis, a, partnership composed of Irwin L. Dunn and James O. Lewis, Tulsa, Okla.

Application May 23, 1934, Serial No. 727,104

' 4 claims. (o1. 'i4-59s) My invention relates to a rod line of the type similar sections 4-5 adapted for disconnection, employed for connecting well pumping mechaso that the Wells served by the lines may be alternism with a power unit, and more particularly nately pumped intermittently for periods deter'-v employed for connecting a pump jack with a mined by coupling and uncoupling of the respec- 5 central power unit serving all of a group of tive rod sections. '5'

wells. For effecting the coupling and uncoupling, usu Y In fields Where production has fallen off to ally termed hook-on andchook-off, of the rod a point where it is uneconomical to pump each sections, 5 and 4 are eacnvprovided with a hook, well with its individual power it is customary to which may be of any suitable type, as illustrated connect a number of adjacent wells with a at l and 6 respectively (Fig. 1), and the rod 10 central power unit, and where the production is sections 4 and 5, are respectively provided with so low that continuous pumping is uneconomical loops S and 9- adapted for co-operation withthe or undesirable it is also customary to connect the corresponding hooks B and l to operatively conwell pumping mechanisms with the power for nect and disconnect the rod sections for alternate only sufficient periods during the day to effect reciprocation by the power unit. removal of accumulated fluid from the Well. With this arrangement, when the hook-onsec Intermittent connection of the Well pumping tions are connected,;t,he power unit pulls 'orifcer-- mechanismsA withy the power unit is ordinarily tain line rods to lift'the sucker rods and weight effected manually by means of hook-on and hookof the sucker rods returns the lines, the lines off devices in the rod lines, but such practice having the hook-,off sections are idle and` vice 20 requires an attendant for each hook-on and versa, the hook-on and hook-off of the lines' being hook-off operation, and frequently results in effected.. at the end ofv the outstroke of the'rod, injury to the attendant. the attendant lifting the hook of one section from It is the object of my invention to elect saving the loop of the other to effect the hook-ofI--and of labor and avoid injury to workmen by hookreversing the operation to effect the hook-oni 25 ing the lines on and off automatically, and to This practice necessitates presence of. anx. at-v regulate the operating period of a well in retendant at each well to effect bothhook-on and sponse to timing mechanism so that the pumphook-off of the lineV for that well, and' the op`l` ing period may be determined without necessity eration not infrequently results in injury to the for the presence of an attendant. attendant through a careless or accidental proy 30 In accomplishing these and other objects of jectionof his hand'between the hook and `loop.. the invention I have provided improved details In accordance with my invention I employ a of structure, the preferred form of which is illushook and loop of thegeneral type above described trated inthe accompanying drawing, wherein: and now commonly employed for'manual coupling Fig. l is a perspective view of a series of rod and uncoupling of the line4 sections,bi1tv provide 35 lines, showing one line equipped with an autofor effecting either hook-on or hook-off automatimatic hook-.off and another line with an autocallyv and at a predeterminedtime throughl emmatic hook-on for disconnecting and connecting ployment of clock mechanism which may beset the pump ends with the power ends of the reto release a coupling member at any desiredA time,

o spective lines. togetherwith anchor rod sections Il)` and I 0" for 40 Eig. 2 is an enlarged detail, perspective View holding the pump rodv section of the main. lines of a timing mechanismcontrolling the hook-on in position` for recoupling tothepower end` of the or hook-off of the lines, a part of the timing line. Y

mechanism supporting post7 being broken away For uncoupling or hook-off of the line I p'rofor better illustration. vide the power end 5' of the line with the loop 45 Referring more in detail tothe drawing: 8;, preferably formed rigidlyy on the end of the l designatesa pump jack of conventional form line section, and the pump end section 4' with adapted for reciprocating the sucker rods of a the hook 6' adapted for `projection into and repumping well, and` 2 a central power unit of moval from the loop to couple or'uncouple the conventional type adapted for operating line sections, and mount the hook-off loop H pivote 50 rods 3 connected with a plurality of jacks l, in ally onthe anchor rod line Ill' so that it may accordance with common practice. Certain of dropover a second hook l2 on` the/.pump end `the rod lines 3 are made up of a pumpend secsection 4 of the main line whenl released' bythe tion Il. and a power end section 5 adapted for timing mechanism. For coupling or'hookeonof connection, While other lines 3 are made up of themain line'sections I pivotally mount thei loop 55 9 on the end of the pump end section of the main line so that it will drop over the hook 'I on the power end section of the line when released by the timing mechanism; an anchor hook I3 being formed on the pump end section rearwardly of the forward end thereof to receive a loop I4 on the end of the anchor line IIJ when the main line sections are uncoupled to hold the pump end section in position for recoupling.

Guides, preferably consisting of spaced posts I5-I6, are provided for maintaining the rod sections in alignment and the coupling members in superposed relation to insure engagement of one coupling member with the other when a suspended member is released by the timing mechamsm.

The timing mechanism for releasing the coupling members is the same for either the hook-on or hook-off lines and consists of a post II mounted adjacent the coupling position provided with a transverse opening I8 slidably mounting a rod I9 having a pawl 20 pivotally mounted on its outer end to drop when unrestrained, but having a tongue 2| engageable in an aperture 22 in a bracket 23 mounted on the post, and shaped to space the apertured portion thereof from the post.

A chain or other flexible connection 24 is adapted for supporting the vertically movable rod coupling member from the latch 23 when the latter is supported in the post bracket but to drop therefrom when the pawl is freed and allowed to drop downwardly on its pivotal mounting under weight of the coupling member. The slide rod I9 is provided at its rear end with a yoke 25 carrying a grooved pulley wheel 26, over which is run a cable or other flexible connection 21, one end of which is connected with a post 28 carried on a lateral arm 29 on the post and the other end with a winding stem 30 of a clock 3|, also carried by the lateral arm 29.

I preferably employ an alarm clock as the timing mechanism and connect the cable 2'I with the stem of the alarm mechanism of the clock in order to elect rapid release of the coupling member when the alarm mechanism of the `clock is released.

While the lateral arm 29 may be of any suitable construction, I preferably employ a construction including a body member having a pair of curved bands 32 attached to its outer end to house the clock mechanism, and provided with extending ears 33 for mounting the post 28 by bolt and nut connection which serves not only to attach the post to the bands, but to tighten the bands on the clock mechanism.

With the form of the invention adapted for automatic hook-off of the line the coupling loop 8 is preferably formed on the end of the power line section and the hook 6 at the extreme end of the pump end section of the rod line, and the anchor line and its pivotal coupling loop arranged above the power line end and its coupling loop.

With the parts in this arrangement the anchor line loop is suspended out of the path of travel of the rod line by placing a flexible connector over the pawl 29 and seating the pawl inv the opening in the bracket 23, the cable 21 being attached to but unwound from the stem 30 of the alarm mechanism of the clock when the pawl is thus positioned. The clock is then set to release the alarm mechanism and the rod line is reciprocated by the power unit to pump the well continuously through the coupling connection. Then the time for which the @190k iS, Sel; IIVCS the alarm mechanism is released and the cable 2'I wound on the stem 39, withdrawing the pawl from its support until it is free therefrom, when weight of the coupling loop on the anchor line drops the loop over the hook I2 on the pump end section of the line as the rod line reaches the forward limit of its stroke. When the rod line moves outwardly the coupling loop II is engaged by the hook I2 and holds the pump end section while the power end section continues its forward movement idly.

' For hook-on as distinguished from hook-off of a line I prefer to mount the vertically movable cable member or loop 9 on the well end section of the rod line so that when the proper time arrives the clock mechanism will effect release of the loop so that it can drop on the hook 'I on the power end section of the line, the well end section being held at the rearward limit of its movement by the anchor loop during idle travel of the power end section.

With the rod lines equipped with hook-olf and hook-on mechanism, such as I have described, an attendant may at certain hours of the day couple some of the lines and set the timing mechanism therefor to uncouple the lines at certain hours, timing the uncoupling to effect pumping of the respective wells for periods corresponding to known production of the well so that when accumulation in the well has been removed the pumping will be discontinued. He may then set the coupling mechanism of other wells to hook on at certain hours, preferably determined with respect to his next tour of the eld, so that those wells which have been automatically hooked on during his absence may be manually hooked olf, and the mechanisms of all of the wells of the group reset for repetition of the operations previously described.

With such arrangement of the hook-on and hook-01T mechanism the active pumping periods may be regulated to avoid pumping after accumulations have been exhausted, and strain on the central pumping unit avoided by stepping of the pumping of different wells so that only one or a limited number of wells may be pumped during any given period, but al1 of the wells pumped successively between tours of the attendant.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In combination with a rod including power and pump end sections having co-operative coupling members, a hook on the pump end rod section, an anchor having a coupling loop engageable by said hook at the limit of the forward stroke of the pump end rod section, means for releasably retaining one of the coupling members out of coupling position, including a hinged latch pin, a support for the latch pin, a hanger for said coupling member adapted for support on said pin, and clock controlled means for Withdrawing said pin from its support to permit the pin to drop and release said hanger.

2. 'In combination 'with a power line having coupling members and an anchor engageable with one of said members, a support, a latch supporting member carried on the support, a latch carried by said member, a pulley on the latch supporting member, a bracket normally engaging the latch, a exible member connecting said latch with one of said coupling members to normally support said coupling member from engagement with the other, a clock mechanism carried by the sppport and having a rotatable shaft, and a flexible cable operating over said pulley and having one end xed relatively to the support and its other end wound on said shaft to effect release of said latch to cause the supported coupling member to engage with the other coupling member and eiect release of the anchor.

3. In combination with a power line having coupling members, a support, a latch releasably connected with the support, a pulley, means connecting the pulley with the latch, a flexible connection connecting the latch With one of said coupling members to support said coupling member out of engagement with the other coupling member, a clock mechanism on the support having a rotating member, and a flexible member operating over said pulley and having one end wound on the rotating member and the other connected to the support for releasing the latch upon actuation of the rotating member by said clock mechanism.

4. In combination with a power line having pump and power sections, coupling members on said sections, a support, a latch releasably connected with the support, latch carrying means on the support, means connecting the latch with one of said coupling members to support said coupling member out of engagement with the other coupling member, clock mechanism on the support having a rotating member, and a flexible member Wound on the rotating member and operably connected., with the latch carrying means for effecting release ofV the latch upon actuation of the rotary member by said clock mechanism.

IRWIN L. DUNN. 

